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The AT&T/Time Warner Deal Explained In Under 3 Minutes

By Michele Markey, Vice President, FastTrac

Crossing the finish line in my hometown marathon, I felt the exhaustion that built up over 26.2 miles – and, simultaneously, the exhilaration of friends and family hugging me, the cheering crowd, music playing, a medal around my neck for finishing, the sense of achievement.

After breathing for a couple of minutes, my feelings turned inward again as the cold morning air began to chill my tired and, yes, sweaty frame. A shiver went through me.

Just then, someone handed me a cup of coffee. Not any old coffee – it was the hometown brewer’s premium brand of coffee. And I felt, not just the comfort of a hot drink, but the personal touch of brilliant branding. At a maximum feel-good time, it was the best cup of java ever!

Do you recall a moment like mine, when a memorable brand touched you personally, deeply, so that years later you still think of that product or service as the best ever?

Every entrepreneur ought to think – a lot – about their brand and image. If attracting and keeping profitable customers is your goal, one of your key strategies must be effective branding.

Layering your brand

Working with business owners in my role with the Kauffman Foundation, I sometimes hear entrepreneurs talk about their brand as a clever new logo, tagline or social media handle. “This is my Twitter, this is my Facebook,” they say – and that covers branding, they think.

While those things are important, they are only skimming the surface. You need to go deeper. Your brand is how you communicate who you are, what your product is, what that product means to your customer – brand is how you make your customer feel. Your brand is what draws them to buy from you.

I like to call it brand layering, meaning that you dig into all the different aspects of how you want to embody your brand. Sure, you have social media, the sign on your door and other external layers. But as an entrepreneur, you need to delve into how your brand lives and interacts and fits within the community that is your customer base.

That hometown coffee company didn’t pick the finish line of a marathon by accident: Placing a hot cup of coffee in the hands of driven, high-achieving and endorphin-saturated runners made connections that will last a lifetime.

Some online sellers of eyeware, likewise, tap into a shared aspiration with a “Buy a pair, give a pair” deal that donates a pair of glasses for each one the customer buys. Clients can look good and help someone less fortunate see clearly, too. The businesses are doing well by doing good.

When you craft a brand to drive your business, you are creating an identity – a name and so forth – but you also need to give it a personality. That personality is your brand.